OSKALOOSA, Iowa — With a tight point race headed into West Liberty Raceway in Iowa on Saturday night, Sawyer Phillips did all he could to climb the standings by winning convincingly in the Mohrfeld Solar Sprint Invaders main event.
Brother Tasker Phillips would put on a show, by restarting on the tail early in the feature and climbing to second, but in the end, he had nothing for the leader.
The 25-lap feature got off to a tough start on the half-mile. The first try saw Cole Mincer spin, collecting Jamie Ball, who retired, and Alan Zoutte. The next attempt saw a five-car melee involving Josh Schneiderman, Alex Vande Voort, Daniel Bergquist, Jaden Alexander and Tyler Graves. Only Vande Voort and Graves would continue. Mason Heimbaugh also suffered a flat left front tire and would retire as well.
On the first attempt, Tasker Phillips got the advantage over fellow front row starter Tyler Lee. Lee would get the jump on the second failed try, but Sawyer Phillips came from row two to duck under both of them to take the lead on the third try. Tasker, Lee, Dustin Clark and Dustin Selvage would trail.
Tasker’s second place run ended when his right-rear tire blew with two laps scored. His team would make quick repairs and he would return at the tail.
Sawyer shot out to a growing lead and entered lapped traffic on the ninth circuit. By lap ten, Tasker was cutting back through the field and had climbed to sixth. By lap 12, he was by Riley Scott into the top five.
Sawyer had built almost a seven second lead over Lee, but struggled with the lapped car of Vande Voort, whose lack of a nose wing had him loose. With nine to go, the leader was given clean air, however, when Cole Mincer came to a stop on the frontstretch.
Sawyer led Lee, Clark, Selvage and Tasker back to green. Tasker gave it all he had in turn one, and passed both Selvage and Clark to move up to third. Selvage trailed him into fourth.
No one had anything for Sawyer, however, as he grew his lead and entered traffic again with three to go. His winning margin would be almost four seconds at the checkers. Coming for the white flag, Tasker gained second from Lee, when he hesitated behind a lapper. Selvage was fourth, and Clark was fifth.
“I really had this one circled all year long as one we wanted to get back to,” said Sawyer. “We were here three years ago, and ran third to Tasker and Chris (Martin). I was running second to Chris and I thought I was running the top. All of a sudden, Tasker blows my doors off above me in one. It’s a unique place. I love racing here. I knew we would have speed here. It’s almost like Eldon…a big flat horse track. I knew we’d be good, regardless of what car we were in. (Vande Voort) was all over the place when I was trying to lap him (right before the last yellow). I about spun it out there.”
“(Blowing the tire) made it more exciting than I thought,” said Tasker. “Sawyer got me on that third initial restart, and I don’t think I was going to catch him after that. The track started to look like it was too heavy, but then it widened out and it was a lot of fun. I could enter way harder low in one and two than anyone. That’s what I was doing. It didn’t really matter where you were coming off of two, because no one could exit. You kind of had to run dirty…slide them and block them. Picking off two of them (on the last restart) was a little surprising. I think I snookered Sawyer here last time we were here, so he got one back.”
The finish:
Feature (started), 25 laps: 1. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (3) 2. 1TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (2) 3. 7T, Tyler Lee, Cedar Rapids, IA (1) 4. 7, Dustin Selvage, Indianola, IA (5) 5. 16, Dustin Clark, Agency, IA (4) 6. 7G, Jackson Gray, Ankeny, IA (7) 7. 5A, Alex Vande Voort, Knoxville, IA (14) 8. 27, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA (13) 9. 88, Riley Scott, Quincy, IL (6) 10. 17, Nate Parks, Burlington, IA (9) 11. 4, Chase Edwards, Burlington, IA (8) 12. 31, McCain Richards, Burlington, IA (12) 13. T4, Tyler Graves, Chariton, IA (20) 14. 9L, Lincoln Martin, Monmouth, IL (19) 15. 15JR, Cole Mincer, Burlington, IA (11) 16. 99, Joey Moughan, Springfield, IL (22) 17. 33, Alan Zoutte, Knoxville, IA (21) 18. 49, Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (10) 19. 11x, Jaden Alexander, Knoxville, IA (15) 20. 9, Daniel Bergquist, Burlington, IA (17) 21. 04, Mason Heimbaugh, Pleasant Hill, IA (16) 22. 4w, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (18) DNS – 40, Cody Wehrle, Burlington, IA.
